Do you feel like your conversational skills leave something to be desired? Maybe you have friends and coworkers who are able to connect with new people effortlessly. They make other people feel comfortable and at ease, and people want to open up to them in return. What’s their secret? They’re probably asking great questions!
Anyone can learn to ask better questions. Knowing how to ask the right questions can help you form new relationships and help you get to know your friends, coworkers, and relatives on a deeper level. Here’s why asking in-depth questions is the key to forming strong bonds with the people in your life.
Demonstrate Your Compassion
When you ask surface-level questions, people might assume that you’re only asking to be polite. But when you dig a little deeper, they will feel you’re genuinely interested.
Asking better questions is the best way to show someone you truly care about them. They’ll likely be flattered that you want to know more about them, and they’ll be more likely to open up to you. If you care about someone, you can show it by asking better questions!
Strengthen Your Relationships
Is there anyone already in your life who you wish you knew a little better? Maybe you have a relative who you want to spend more time with. Or perhaps you’ve met a new coworker who you seemed to really click with. Maybe you’ve even lost touch with an old friend who you want to reconnect with.
Reaching out and asking great questions during your conversations can help make it happen. In addition to helping you make new friends, asking the right questions can help you improve your existing relationships.
Liven Up Your Conversations
Have you ever gotten to talking with someone who was a charming conversationalist? Even if you had only met them a few minutes ago, they could hone in on your interests right away. They seemed to know exactly what to ask you, and they always had a joke up their sleeve.
Conversations like this are a lot of fun, and when you pepper your conversations with better questions, chatting with people becomes a lot more lively and entertaining! If you want to become more adept at the art of lively conversations, learning to ask good questions is a must.
Disprove Assumptions
Perhaps you feel you don’t get along with certain coworkers or acquaintances. Even if you don’t know them very well, you feel you have differences that would make it tough to have a genuine relationship. But when you take the time to ask them more questions about themselves, you might find that you have more in common than you think.
In fact, what you find out about them might surprise you! In order to really know someone, you need to ask great questions. Otherwise, you might miss out on incredible friendships.
Become a Better Listener
Asking better questions also helps you become a better listener in the long run. Often, we spend conversations waiting for our turn to talk. Rather than focus on what someone else is saying, we’re already coming up with our next response. But by thinking of better questions, you’ll be able to shift the focus of the conversation away from yourself and tune in to the person you’re talking to.
If you’re always coming up with your next comment, you won’t learn much about your conversation partner. But when you prioritize asking good questions, you’ll find out lots more!
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Want to improve your conversational skills and deepen your relationships? Therapy can help. Reach out to me today to discuss your options for scheduling your first session.